Recumbent Benefits

The reclined seat position of the recumbent bike engages multiple muscle groups, including the abdominals, glutes and hamstrings. The low and secure seat position leaves your arms free to engage in upper-body exercises with hand weights or resistance bands. Because recumbent bikes cause less stress on your back muscles and are easier to access and ride than an upright bike, you are more likely to engage in regular riding sessions and reap the toning benefits.

Stomach Toning

According to the American Council on Exercise, high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, helps reduce abdominal fat. The benefits continue after your workout, with calories burned up to 24 hours after exercising. HIIT is simple to incorporate into your recumbent bike workout. Engage in a warm-up exercise like jogging in place for several minutes to prepare your muscles, then alternate cycles where you pedal as hard and fast as possible with periods of rest. To reduce injury risk, only perform HIIT one to two times per week during a six-week period.

Lower-Body Toning

Increasing your recumbent bike's resistance level is integral to reducing lower body fat. The additional effort it takes for your feet to push the pedals while simulating an uphill ride builds muscle mass, which helps burn additional calories. Steadily increase the resistance level on your recumbent bike until you are capable of handling a heavy resistance setting for a substantial duration of your cycling session. For leg toning, focus on proper form as you pedal at a heavy resistance while maintaining a speed of 50 to 60 revolutions per minute for up to 20 minutes. Allow up to 10 minutes for recovery.

Things to Consider

Check with your doctor before adding recumbent cycling and HIIT sessions to your fitness regimen. While you cannot target specific muscles for spot reduction, by smartly riding your recumbent bike, you can burn fat and tone muscles across your body. For a complete and effective toning workout, include additional cardio, along with strength and flexibility exercises. Disciplines that focus on body movement like yoga or tai chi are ideal for toning muscles.

About the Author

Joy Johnston has been an online journalist since 2005. She has served as senior producer for the health news website Sharecare and as a digital producer for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," where she helped develop the health channel. Johnston has also covered ways to stay fit in Atlanta.